


Tales of Connected Souls

by roxasfanfics



Series: Oneshot Collections [5]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Drabbles, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Oneshot collection, Romance, oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 05:21:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18204080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxasfanfics/pseuds/roxasfanfics
Summary: A collection of oneshots from the fandom of Bleach.DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters presented in these stories, aside from my OCs. Those rights belong exclusively to Tite Kubo.





	1. Foreword

Hello everyone! Welcome to my oneshot collection for Bleach,  _Tales of Connected Souls_ _!_ It includes a variety of stories, from passionate romances to tales of friendship, and I hope everyone enjoys reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. If you have migrated here from  _Cuddle Corner,_ thank you for sticking with me; if you are new, welcome and enjoy what I have here! In either case, happy reading!

I do take prompts/pairing and story requests (in fact, I love them, so please feel free to request!). However, there are a couple of guidelines to keep in mind:

  * If a prompt is submitted, I do not guarantee that I will agree to write it. If I feel uncomfortable at the prompt or otherwise feel like I do not possess enough information to adequately complete the prompt, it is my right to politely refuse to take the prompt. If the prompt is from a series that I have not read/seen, it is likely that I will place the prompt on hold until I have done so. If the prompt is from an anime filler arc, I may refuse or require a short explanation of the filler arc to provide me with enough detail to complete the prompt. Please respect my choice as an author to refuse prompts. 
  * Most of the stories I write are male/female, mostly because this is what I am comfortable writing. However, if you wish to suggest a female/female or male/male prompt, please feel free to do so. I don't discriminate against such pairings and will most likely write them if requested, it is just unlikely that I will do so spontaneously. Again, please respect my decision as the author to refuse to write a pairing if I cannot draw appropriate inspiration.
  * Finally, this is  _not_ a place for smut. I respect people who read and/or write it, but I am not one of those people, so please do not request anything that is NSFW.



Below is also a list of my other oneshot collections. Please do stop by if any of them pique your interest! Is there a fandom you love not represented? Please recommend it to me! I love new things to read. 

  * The Bonds that We Hold Dear (Naruto)
  * Love on the High Seas (One Piece)
  * Tales from the Four Tribes (Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra)
  * Equivalent Exchange: My Life for Yours (Fullmetal Alchemist)
  * Love Burning Bright (Blue Exorcist)
  * Tales of the Dawning Sun (Yona of the Dawn)
  * Love on a Fairy's Wing (Fairy Tail)
  * Tales of Resonating Souls (Soul Eater)
  * Tales from Ouran High (Ouran High School Host Club)




	2. Index

**Chapter 1:** You and I _(Tatsuki/Ichigo)_

 **Chapter 2:** What a Beautiful Wedding _(Tatsuki/Ichigo)_

 **Chapter 3:** You and I Part II _(Tatsuki/Ichigo)_

 **Chapter 4:** You and I Part III _(Tatsuki/Ichigo)_


	3. You and I

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Ichigo Kurosaki and Tatsuki Arasawa

Requested By:  Jonathan Gart (FanFiction)

Prompt taken from the Tumblr blog, hellsdemonictrinity! Please go check them out!

Tatsuki strode purposefully down the school hallway, her bag laden with schoolbooks swinging at her side with every stride. People automatically moved aside as she strolled by. She always had this air of confidence about her that people just seemed to sense, and gave her a wide birth by instinct; Tatsuki didn't mind that, of course, since it meant that she did not have to squeeze through crowds of people on her way to her class. Plus, people knew that Tatsuki was a champion fighter, so perhaps they simply did not wish to get on her bad side. The funny thing was that Tatsuki really didn't have one- unless of course someone made the grave mistake of harassing her friends.

As she walked into the classroom, a jovial voice rang out from the rows of desk, and the scruffy-haired girl turned to see her boisterous friend Orihime jumping up in her desk and waving excitedly.

“Good morning, Tatsuki!” she called happily as she approached and set her things down at her desk.

“Morning, Orihime,” she responded with a smile before sitting in her desk and propping up her feet with a yawn. Though she did well enough in class, she would much rather be practicing in the gym than sitting at a desk while a teacher shoved facts and rules down her throat. Still, having Orihime in the same class made things much more bearable; the bubbly girl immediately began babbling about a cute squirrel she had seen on the way to school that morning, and Tatsuki listened with an amused smile, enjoying how her friend found entertainment in the simplest things. The girl continued to prattle on about various things until she abruptly stopped and looked at a point over Tastuki's shoulder. Raising an eyebrow, Tatsuki followed her friend's gaze to see a pair of boys standing next to the desk. Tatsuki could immediately tell that they were bad news by the way they were standing, slouching with their hands in their pants pockets and their shirts untucked, and the smug sneers on their mouths.

“Hey, Orihime. New haircut?” one of them asked, and the tone in his voice bothered Tatsuki. Orihime, innocent as ever, completely missed the haughty air of the conversation and beamed, running her fingers through her orangey-brown hair.

“Oh, yes! I only got it trimmed, though. How nice of you to notice!” she responded with a light blush and a wonderfully bright smile. Tatsuki just watched the pair of them levelly, waiting to see how they would respond. _These thugs had better keep their mouths shut._

“Say, Orihime. Why don't you ditch this place and come have some fun?” the other one offered with a grin laden with lecherous intent. _There it is._ “You don't really want to sit in here all day, do you?” Orihime's expression immediately became more nervous, and she laughed nervously as she attempted to diffuse the rapidly accelerating situation.

“Oh! I’m sorry. School is really important to me, you know, so I really can't skip! Hehe…” she responded weakly, and Tatsuki noticed that she edged slightly away from them and glanced down at her with pleading eyes.

“Come on,” the persistent thug pressed as he put his hand on the desk to lean across and bring his face closer to the frightened Orihime's. “You're much too pretty to be wasting your time in he- Owwww!” he yelped mid-sentence as Tatsuki wrapped her hand around his wrist and forcibly pried it from her desk and bent it backwards. He attempted to wrench free of her iron grip, to no avail, and his bones cracked under the force of her grasp.

“She said that she wasn't interested. Take a hint. Maybe it'll even raise your IQ's a little,” she told him calmly, her voice level; however, a fierce fire burned in her gaze, a stark warning for the boys to abandon their foolish effort to court the obviously disinterested girl. She held his wrist for a moment before suddenly releasing it, and he yelped while hastily snapping his hand back lest Tatsuki decide to resume the violent action. Tatsuki pulled her back onto her desk, honestly expecting the boys to be thoroughly threatened and make a hasty retreat, but she gasped as her bag was suddenly wrenched from her hands and flung across the room. Orihime cried out in shock, and the rest of the students, attracted by the commotion, fell silent as they watched the situation escalate.

“You stupid bitch. I don't recall inviting you to the conversation,” the thug growled at her. Tatsuki, not one to be easily threatened, merely gazed up at him with a calm look.

“You're on my desk. That makes me part of the conversation,” she responded levelly, trying to keep her eye from twitching with annoyance. She really wasn't interested in catering to the inflated egos of a couple of self-proclaimed casanovas, and she certainly did not appreciate her things being thrown into a wall. Before they could respond, the teacher strode into the room, and that seemed to deter them if only for the moment.

“This isn't over,” he growled at her as he cradled his likely bruised hand, and he and his lackey hastily retreated before the instructor could respond to the situation. As they fled, Ichigo and his usual posse came strolling in, and the tall boy raised his eyebrows as one of them roughly shoved him aside.

“Hey! Watch where you're going, will ya?” he shouted after him with an irritated glare before snorting and walking into the classroom. He stopped when he noticed the contents of Tatsuki's school bag strewn around the back wall, the intense silence of the room, and the horrified expression on Orihime's face. “What the hell happened in here?” he blinked, looking from Tatsuki to the door and then back to her.

“Nothing. Just dealing with a couple of losers,” she responded. She then released a small sigh and stood to retrieve her things, walking around the desk to crouch down and gather the various articles. As she reached for her bag, she was shocked when someone else picked it up before her, and she glanced up to see Ichigo standing there with a concerned look.

“Did those guys bother you, Tatsuki?” he asked, and she knew what that would lead to if she said yes.

“Hardly. They were just hitting on Orihime and didn't appreciate it when I told them to back off, that's all,” she answered simply and stood up to take the bag from him and stuff her things back inside.

“Do I need to beat them up?” he asked as he followed her back to his desk, his depression completely serious despite the nonchalant air about him, with his bag slung over his shoulder and his hand in his pocket. Tatsuki snorted at the bold challenge and shook her head.

“No! It’s not that big of a deal. Jeez, like you don't get in enough fights!” she huffed as she plopped down in her desk and waved a hand dismissively at him. He lingered there for a moment, just staring at her, before shrugging and making his way back to his friends, which were cutting up already and making the teacher yell loudly at them. _Jeez. Why is he all on me about this?_ She wondered, watching him out of the corners of her eyes. _He’s always been touchy about people messing with me. He knows I can defend myself! So what's his deal?_

Slowly, the hum of conversation returned to the classroom, and Tatsuki acted natural as she settled into her desk and began preparing for the school day.

“Are you okay, Tatsuki?” Orihime cried worriedly once things had returned to normal, and Tatsuki simply smiled confidently at her. She was used to Orihime fretting over her.

“Of course! Guys like that don't scare me. You know that I could've flattened them in an instant!” she grinned and pulled out her notebook in anticipation of the morning bell. As the last of the students shuffled into the room and morning bell rang shrilly throughout the building, Tatsuki didn’t waste even a thought on incident. She dealt with things like that daily, after all.

But she couldn't get her mind off of the look on Ichigo's face.

The rest of the day passed slowly but uneventfully, and soon the afternoon dismissal bell was ringing overhead. The air was bursting with conversations of plans for the afternoon and homework and upcoming exams as Tastuki walked alongside Orihime towards the gym, where she was to undertake practice for the day. She bid her friend farewell at the exit before walking across the sandy courtyard, her shadow bouncing along beside her in the blazing sunlight. Suddenly, it was not not just her shadow stretching across the ground; two more had joined hers, one on either side, and Tatsuki realized that she was being followed. She stopped, letting her school bag drop to the ground before whipping around to confront her pursuers. She was only mildly surprised to see that it was the two punks from earlier that morning, cracking their knuckles threateningly as they snickered to themselves. Unfortunately for them, they believed that they had cornered the small girl.

“Hey, there. We got a bone to pick with you, little lady,” the leading delinquent sneered at her. “You see, I don't appreciate the way you treated me this morning. If you apologize, I may just treat you gently,” he offered, as if it were a fair offer. Tatsuki just snorted, amazed at how delusional he was.

“I’m not apologizing for anything. Get out of my face. I don't have the time for this,” she huffed and went to pick up her bag, then gasped as her arms were suddenly pinned behind her back, immobilizing her. She peered over her shoulder to see that an additional three guys had snuck up behind her, one of which who had grabbed her and placed her in a very compromising position. _Crap! I was so overconfident…_ she thought as she bit down on her lip. She could probably fight them off, but with her arms pinned, she was at an extreme disadvantage. She turned back when the leader of the band of punks began laughing coldly.

“I figured you would say something like that, so I brought along a couple of pals to help me teach you a lesson. You have a lot of nerve, walking around thinking you're all hot shit. You think you're tough? I’m gonna show you who's tough around here,” he smirked as he walked towards her with a sick expression. The other three men converged around him, so that all four of her were marching her with the obvious intent to do her harm. Tatsuki planted her feet, gritting her teeth as she suddenly grabbed onto the shirt of the boy holding her and then suddenly launching him over her back. The shock caused him to release his grip on her, so he went flying into his companions. They all cried out as he crashed into them, and Tatsuki fell into an offensive stance, cool as a cucumber as they scrambled to their feet. She could immediately tell that she pissed them off, especially the one who was leading the band of bungling would-be gangsters. “You're dead, bitch,” he hissed as blood dribbled from his mouth from where his friend had roughly crashed into him. Tatsuki's eyes widened as he suddenly procured a switchblade from his pocket and pulled it open, the sharp blade flashing white in the bright sunlight. Despite her bravado, Tatsuki was not fool enough to think she could fend off a knife attack and fight off four large boys at the same time, and she uneasily edged backwards.

“Hey, now… Take it easy…” she said quietly, raising her hands as if trying to appease an angry animal.

“Oh, no. It's too late for that now. I’m gonna carve up that pretty face of yours,” he grinned wildly, and the madness that had descended into his expression put a quiver into even her stout spine. _Oh my God… He actually wants to kill me…!_ She thought as she edged backwards. Even his lackeys were looking unsure, standing off to the side and watching in concern as the psychopath converged on the defenseless girl. As he raised his hand to strike, Tatsuki flinched and threw her arms up in some sort of defense, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for the blow to come.

“Hey, hey. Is that any way to treat a lady?” came a mocking voice, and Tatsuki's eyes flashed open as she immediately recognized it.

“Ichigo!” she exclaimed in surprise. From out of nowhere he had come onto the scene, appearing behind her assailant to grab ahold of his arm and prevent him from slashing at her with the small knife. The man's arm shook violently as it struggled in Ichigo's strong grasp, and she could see the panic in his expression; Ichigo, on the other hand, looked pretty calm for a guy who had intervened in an attempted knife attack- he was even smiling at her.

“Hey, Tatsuki. Got yourself in a bit of trouble, have we?” the orange-haired boy mused before, without any warning, punching the knife wielder violently in the face. Blood exploded from his nose as it broke under the force of his blow, and he crumpled like a rag doll. As the knife slipped from his hand, Ichigo kicked it away and looked down at the boy in disgust. “Piece of shit, drawing a knife on a girl like that. Who the hell do you think you are?!” he shouted angrily before driving his foot into his ribs, and Tatsuki cringed as she heard an audible crack. Before he could get in another blow, the four lackeys, loyal despite the fact that their boss went unhinged, jumped at Ichigo with their fists raised. Tatsuki just stood there, stunned, as they all became embroiled in a bitter scuffle that, despite the odds, Ichigo won in a matter of mere minutes. Soon, he was standing there amongst a pile of bleeding, groaning guys, while he was covered in scratches and bruises and bleeding profusely from a gash on his arm. Apparently one of them had snatched up the knife in the chaos and lashed out at him, but that did little to stop him. Tatsuki knew Ichigo was handy in a street fight, but she was still impressed. She stiffened as he abruptly turned toward her. “You hurt?”

“No,” she answered. He nodded, then sighed deeply and reached up to crack his neck; then, to her astonishment, he just stepped over their bodies and began walking away. “Hey! You can't just walk off bleeding like that!” she cried and ran after him, grabbing him by the arm to hold him back. He looked down at her in shock, then looked down at his arm, which was rapidly turning red with the river of blood flowing down.

“Oh. I didn't even feel it,” he blinked, and Tatsuki decided go forgo inquiring about how he could not possibly feel a stab wound to instead drag him to the practice building and sit him down on one of the benches outside. Luckily, due to her own tendency to acquire injuries, she always had a first-aid kit on hand, and she hurriedly dug it out and popped it open to begin cleaning his wound. It was luckily not so deep to need stitches, and looked worse than it was.

“You need to control your temper,” she sighed quietly. Partly, she was bothered that Ichigo had even felt the need to rise to her defense. She could have handled it herself- or at least, that was what she was telling herself. Ichigo just glared at her.

“There were five of them, and one of them pulled a knife on you, Tatsuki. There was no way in hell that I was going to let you take them on like that. You're strong, no doubt about it, but even you have your limits,” he told her bluntly, and somehow that just made her angry, even though in the moment she had felt that way herself.

“I’ve kicked your ass in every fight we've ever had. I totally could have taken them,” she muttered as she set down a swathe of bloody fabric and began coating his gash with antibacterial ointment. Perhaps because she was irritated, she used more force than necessary, and he winced and hissed loudly in pain. Out of stubbornness, he didn’t even feel guilty. Ichigo was as stubborn as she was, though.

“What does that have to do with anything? Even if you could have taken those guys, they were trying to beat up in a girl! I couldn't let them just get away with that!” he snapped hotly. Scowling, Tatsuki grabbed some bandages and roughly wrapped his arms, and her lack of tenderness made Ichigo cry out and jerk back. “Would you cut that out? Your bedside manner is horrible!”

“Well, if you weren't such a jerk, I wouldn't be so pissed off!” she snapped hotly and glared up at him. Really, she wasn't mad at him; she was mad at herself. _I shouldn't have let my guard down like that. It made me vulnerable,_ she thought bitterly- and she hated feeling vulnerable. She hated to have to be rescued. “… Why did you have to get involved? I could have handled it,” she repeated, more softly, and her hands, still holding the slightly bloodied bandages, dropped down to her lap. She wouldn't cry- she had too much pride for that- but she could not stop her expression from growing sad. Ichigo blinked down at her, probably shocked to see her in such a state, before he smiled sweetly.

“Jeez, you don't get it, do you? And you call me dense,” he laughed. His lighthearted tone made her glance up, and her eyebrows shot up to her forehead when his face was suddenly right in front of hers. “I like you a lot, you know, so the sight of a guy waving a knife around at you _kind of_ pisses me off.” She was so in shock that she could only just stare dumbly at him, mouth slightly open, staring into his eyes that were burning with a sudden passion. She was trying to process what he had said, but it just wouldn't click in her mind. “Words not working? How about this, then?” he offered, and her eyes widened as he closed the distance between them to lightly press his lips to hers. She froze, her fingers curling into the fabric of her skirt as she struggled to try and react, but her brain was just going so crazy that she couldn't formulate one coherent thought. Finally, one finally managed to emerge from the fog.

_Me… and Ichigo?_

They had known each other since they were small children, and had naturally grown close over the years, but she had never imagined that he could have been harboring some sort of romantic attraction towards her. The even more shocking thing was that the simple action of their lips meeting stirred something inside of her that she hadn't even realized existed, a fire in her body that made her heart sing. _Me and Ichigo._ In her mind, it certainly didn't sound bad. Slowly, her muscles relaxed, and she was able to enjoy the feeling of his mouth gently moving over hers. After a moment, he pulled back, a triumphant smirk on his lips while Tatsuki just gazed up at him, her expression somewhere between confused and shy. “That's a pretty cute look you have on your face.”

“I'm not cute,” she insisted immediately, her ego taking over and shoving aside the effects of the smooth kiss. He just laughed at her, body shaking as she attempted to once again bind his wounds. She could not keep the heat from rising to her cheeks, so she kept her head down as she wound the bandages around his muscular arm, much more gently this time.

“You blushing? I didn’t know you could blush,” he teased, which of course made her blush further.

“Shut up!” she huffed and tied off the bandage, glaring up at him. “There. Now, at least, you won't bleed to death. Now, I have to get to practice. Don't kill yourself on the way home,” she sighed and rose to her feet, grabbing her things and slinging her bag over her shoulder. She paused for a moment, her emotions writhing inside of her, before she inhales sharply and quickly leaned down to kiss him lightly on the cheek. “Thanks for saving my butt. I owe you one,” she mumbled before whipping around to scurry into the practice building. Though her back was to him, she could feel him smiling, and that fact brought a smile to her own lips.

_You and I… Not a bad thought at all._


	4. What A Beautiful Wedding

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Ichigo Kurosaki and Tatsuki Arisawa

Requested By: JJ (Ao3)

Tatsuki awoke with a start as the side door to her hotel room was suddenly thrown open, and she snapped her eyes open just in time to see Orihime, still in her fluffy pink pajamas decorated with white teddy bears, springing from the carpeted floor. She landed on top of Tatsuki, driving all the breath from her body, and she sputtered as the girl's orange-brown hair landed in her mouth. Orihime beamed down at her, giggling brightly.

“Tatsuki! You're getting _married_ today!” she squealed with delight. It took Tatsuki a few minutes to drag herself out of the grogginess of sleep, but when she finally did and processed the girl's excited declaration, a sleepy smile found its way onto her lips.

“I’m getting _married!”_ she cried back and jerked up to wrap her arms around Orihime in a giddy hug, and they both gushed about the glorious situation before Tatsuki scurried out of bed. There was a lot to do, like wake her bridal party. They had rented a hotel near the venue, and all had adjoining rooms, so the girls were strolling through the open side door asking to borrow a hair dryer or wondering what kinds of make-up they should bring so the make-up artist would have more options. Their dresses had been delivered to the dressing room of the venue the previous day, and all they could do was hope that any wrinkles had fallen out throughout the night. As she was buttoning up a shirt, one that she could easily shed to pull on her dress, she raised her head as there was loud knocking at the hotel room door. Chizuru, the only one currently fully dressed, sidled up and opened the door, then began screeching angrily.

“What the hell are you doing? You can't come in here!” she cried as she pushed all her weight against the door, crushing whoever’s arm against the threshold. She heard him angrily shouting, and as he pushed the door open a little she saw a familiar shock of orange hair.

“The hell you mean? Why not?” Ichigo demanded hotly as he attempted to wrestle his way through the entrance, while Tatsuki just blushed and pulled the undone buttons of her blouse together.

“First of all, there are _girls_ dressing in here!”

“This is _Tatsuki's_ room!” he argued back, to which Chizuru just stuck her tongue out at him.

“Obviously we’re all in here, you dope! Besides, it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding. Now scram!” the feisty redhead asserted before body-slamming against the door, and Tatsuki heard her poor fiancé cursing profusely as his arm was trapped between the heavy door and the threshold. It thrashed about for a bit before he managed to wriggle it out, and she smiled slightly as she heard him stomping off angrily. Chizuru turned to her with a huff, tossing her hair haughtily.

“Why are you marrying him again?” Ryo snorted as she came out of the bathroom running a brush through her pin-straight black hair. Tatsuki just smiled warmly and finished buttoning up her shirt, thinking of her excitable fiancé and the wonderful day she had ahead of her.

Once the girls had finished preparing, they headed down to the parking lot- with the bridesmaids taking excessive measures to ensure that they did not stumble across the groom and his groomsmen by accident- and piled into a car to head to the venue about five minutes away. Tatsuki and Ichigo had decided on a popular site, a beautiful park in the middle of the city that featured a gorgeous pond, a pavilion area for hosting receptions and parties, and numerous species of native trees clustered in small groves all throughout the property. It was elegant, but also adventurous, which suited the couple nicely. They wound their way down a curvy paved road; at the end was a simple administrative-looking building that actually served as the place where bridal parties could prepare for the ceremony and a full-service kitchen where caterers could prepare food. The pavilion was not far off, and Tatsuki could see the decorators already hard at work, stringing fairy lights, setting up tables and chairs, and adorning the premises with flowers. She could feel the excitement fluttering inside her like a caged bird, and by the time she and her bridesmaids were walking up to the door to meet her wedding planner, she felt like she was walking on air.

“Miss Arisawa! Well, not for much longer, eh?” the woman chuckled as she greeted Tatsuki with a hug. “Everything is going according to plan! Your make-up artist and hairdresser are already upstairs!”

“Thank you,” Tatsuki smiled before the woman scurried off to the pavilion, barking orders at one of her handymen who was apparently stringing some lights incorrectly. Tatsuki and her friends proceeded into the building and up the stairs to the spacious dressing room on the second floor, where the women who were getting them ready greeted them happily and then ushered Tatsuki to a chair set in front of a mirror so they could immediately get to work. Tatsuki closed her eyes as the make-up artist began to powder her face, and in the darkness danced the image of her husband-to-be. A smile rose to her lips.

“Honey! I need you to keep your face still!” the make-up artist tutted.

“Oh, but she's excited! It's her wedding day, after all!” laughed the hairdresser, who was currently attempting to tackle pulling Orihime's luscious waves of orangey-brown hair into an elaborate up-do. Tatsuki blushed slightly, slightly embarrassed that her excitement was so obvious. _I’m getting married…_ she thought, trying to keep her face relaxed as the woman went about her work. It was so hard, though. Tatsuki was just so unbelievably happy that her lips just seemed to naturally curl upwards. _I’m going to marry the man I love…_

Ichigo had proposed to her nearly a year before, after they had been dating since their final year of high school, about three years. Tatsuki had been Tatsuki, of course- she had gotten flustered, embarrassed, and wound up punching him. She had immediately regretted that, though, and knelt down next to him as he was rubbing his jaw on the ground, and then they had panicked because the ring had fallen out of the box. After scrambling around for a few minutes to find it, they managed to locate the diamond band, and they squabbled a bit before he had finally worked the answer out of her. _“Of course, dumbass!”_ Really, sometimes she wondered why _he_ wanted to marry _her,_ considering how uncouth she was. They butted heads, always have, and maybe that's why they were such a good match for each other.

“Ta-da! What do you think, sweetie?” the make-up artist announced suddenly, making her jump lightly. She opened her eyes, and as her reflection greeted her, she gasped in wonder. She almost couldn't believe that the gorgeous woman sitting across from her was actually herself, and she turned her face slightly this way and that, watching the light play across the highlighter glowing across her cheekbones. A faint blush had been applied to her cheeks, and the area above her eyes fluttered with silvery eyeshadow. Her lips were plump and shiny with gloss.

“Is that me?” she whispered. The girl in the glass mirrored her movements, so surely it must be.

“It's amazing what a little glow-up can do, hmmm?” she giggled, leaning down beside Tatsuki with her hands on her shoulders, before she straightened up to look at her partner. “Are you ready to switch?” The woman grunted in response, several Bobby pins clenched in her teeth as she placed the finishing touches on Orihime's beautiful up-do. Part of her hair was braided and then twisted up into an elaborate bun, and a flower ornament matching the décor outside was pinned in place on the side of her head. The hairdresser doused her in a final shower of hairspray before bouncing over to Tatsuki, spinning her around in the chair with a grin.

“All right, honey, let's make you _dazzle!_ ”

The hairdresser set upon her with glee, attacking the black strands with a curling iron and transforming the straight strands into full ringlets that rolled down her back. She left two large sections uncurled, and then proceeded to braid these and pull them across, forming an elaborate weave that separated the curls from the crown of her head. She straightened out Tatsuki's scruffy bangs and pinned them flat to her head, and as Tatsuki watched the gradual transformation, she was spellbound. A woman was taking shape in the mirror, one of elegance, of beauty- hell, you could even call her a princess- and Tatsuki was absolutely flabbergasted that that princess was _her._ Tatsuki had always taken little effort in her appearance; it was one thing that Ichigo liked about her, that she was “natural,” as he called it- and so the gorgeous image before her was one she had never seen. She hadn't even taken this much effort into their first date, all those years ago. Even as the hairdresser finished, gushing about her handiwork, her chattering was far away to the stunned bride.

_I wonder what Ichigo will think?_

Tatsuki sat patiently as the duo worked on her bridesmaids, and as they waited they all engaged in nostalgic conversation, laughing over things they had all done over the years, especially stupid things her fiancé had done, gushing over how excited they had been when Tatsuki had first starting dating him, and things of that nature. Occasionally the artists would flutter about in a panic when one of the girls had begun to cry, with Orihime being the prime culprit; strangely, no tears came to Tatsuki’s eyes. She was never really that emotional, after all, but it did mildly shock her. This was the most exciting day of her life, and yet she didn't even feel her eyes mist up. She was happy, sure, but it wasn’t the bursting bubble of elation she had anticipated.

Instead, she was beginning to grow nervous.

The hour of the wedding was approaching, and once their hair and make-up was done it was time to get into the dresses. Tatsuki had chosen sky blue as her color for the wedding, and so her bridesmaids drew all wearing identical dresses of that shade, sleeveless satin gowns with flowing skirts with simple bows around the waist. Tatsuki's wedding dress was far more elaborate, naturally; it was sleeveless as well, but the skirt was a one-and-a-half, with a short skirt framed by a shell of ruffled silk that fell around the sides and backs of her legs. The back of the skirt featured a stream of sky blue that wrapped into a sash around her waist, and the top was corset-like, with blue silk ribbons making up the back the front was smooth white fabric. Tatsuki’s veil featured a band with fabric flowers, the same as the one pinned in Orihime's hair, with sheer pattern-less fabric. She stood with her back to the mirror as Michiru expertly laced the back, while the other girls stood in front of her in a quiet hush, as if they were in awe; Tatsuki felt her place the veil into her hair, and Orihime began to cry again, but it was different than the emotional blubbering; she was staring at Tatsuki like she had never seen anything more sublime in her life, like she was staring at an angel.

“Tatsuki,” she whispered, “you are so _beautiful.”_ Tatsuki turned to the mirror, desperate to see for herself, and none of her other reflections compared to the one she saw there. It was like she was staring at a stranger, a beautiful goddess who bore resemblance to her. _That's… me?_ She just couldn't believe it. She lifted a hand, gently brushing her fingers across her cheek, and the reflection did the same. It was her, indeed. Tatsuki had only worn dresses a few times in her life, a and none of them were anywhere close to the elegance of the wedding dress. She stared, stared into that glass pane where that strange, beautiful woman stood.

_What will Ichigo think?_

That thought was on the forefront of her mind now. It was all just so _different,_ and that unsettled her. Doubts began to creep into her mind. _What if he doesn't like it?_ She couldn't dwell on the fact for very long, though, because an attendant came in to announce that it was nearly time. Tatsuki internally panicked. Surely, that much time couldn't have passed, right? It was all so much, so fast. Numb, while her bridesmaids were squealing with happiness as they walked down to the first floor to meet the groomsmen, she just walked robotically down the steps and took her place at the rear. Orihime handed her a bouquet before standing beside her, holding the train of her dress, as was her duty as her Maid of Honor. She felt her hands wrapping tightly around the flower stems. Suddenly it felt as if the corset was too tight, and should could not breath. Tatsuki had no father to give her away, so she stood there, alone, watching as the pairs of the bridal party exited the door one by one. Then it was her turn. She could hear the music drifting in from the open door, where a white carpet covered in blue flower petals lay waiting for her. Yet she could not walk forward.

“Tatsuki? What's the matter?” Orihime whispered to her. “You're not getting second thoughts, are you?” she gasped.

“No… Not like that,” she admitted quietly. It was just she and Orihime, her best friend in all the world, the one who understood her in ways Ichigo never could. “It's just… What if he thinks I look foolish?” Saying it aloud, she knew it was dumb of her, but she couldn't help it. It was just so different that it felt wrong. She expected Orihime to laugh at her and tell her she worried too much, but when Tatsuki looked back at her, she was smiling softly.

“Ichigo would never think something like that, Tatsuki. He loves you, after all.” Tatsuki's eyes widened slightly as she gazed at her with the utmost confidence swimming in her soft brown eyes. _Yes. He loves me._ At once, it felt like all the muscles in her body relaxed, and she could breathe again. She nodded to her before turning back, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply before striding confidently out the door. As she felt the warm spring breeze kiss her face, she opened her eyes once more, and was momentarily overwhelmed by the transformation the pavilion had undergone.

It was filled with tables and chairs, with white tablecloths and vases of baby blue flowers with appropriate accompaniments. On a large table to the left was the buffet line for their reception; on the right, a three-tier wedding cake, with little figurines of a bride and an orange-haired groom at the top. Next to that was the groom's cake, which Tatsuki had styled in a dojo, a memorial to how they had met. Next to the pavilion, the altar had been assembled, and this is where the white carpet led. On either side were fold-out chairs strung with sheer fabric and fairy lights and flowers, filled with their wedding guests. Tatsuki’s mother was in the front row, a handkerchief held to her nose; on the other side, Ichigo's father sat beaming at her. Beyond that stood her love, her rock, her soulmate.

She had never seen a bigger smile on Ichigo's face.

Their gazes were locked together as she walked up the thin carpet, and she kept staring at him even as she stopped beneath the altar, a white metal arch twisted with more flowers, fairy lights, and silk sheets. One either side of them stood their best friends. Orihime was already crying again as she settled out Tatsuki's train behind her and scurried to join the other girls. Even as the chaplain began talking, all she could do was gaze up at him, her face mildly flushed as a question burned in her throat.

_What do you think, Ichigo?_

It was like he read her mind.

“You're beautiful,” he whispered as he looked down at her, and the way he looked at her made her heart stop beating. The expression on his face was nothing short of pure love. _I’m beautiful,_ she echoed in her own mind. _I’m beautiful._

It was then that Tatsuki felt the tears appear in her eyes, and one of them rolled down her cheek. She didn't even care if her make-up smeared; she was just so _happy_ , damn it. All the doubt that had built up inside of her washed away with that tear, and she smiled happily. At that moment, for the first time that day, she felt like the gorgeous woman she had seen in the mirror.

 _I love this man,_ she thought, too choked up to speak. He seemed to get what she was trying to say, though, and tuned into the chaplain, who was well into the marriage rights. Tatsuki turned her attention to the eloquent droning of the holy man as well, but out of the corners of her eyes, she continued to gaze at the man who she loved most in the world, and who made her feel like the most sublime creature on earth with how deeply he loved her.


	5. You and I Part II

Category: Friendship Fluff, Romantic Fluff

Characters: Ichigo Kurosaki, Tatsuki Arisawa, Orihime Inoue

Requested By: JJ (Ao3)

Tatsuki’s eyebrows slowly crept further and further up her forehead as she walked down the hallway, truly perplexed. Though people normally kept their distance from the volatile, moody championship fighter, the other students were especially wary of her today, avoiding her gaze and shuffling towards the walls or into classroom as she strolled by. In addition, she could hear fervent whispering start up behind her, and some brave souls would do so before she even passed, throwing fervent glances in her direction. Though it was a bit irritating, she decided to ignore the student body's strange behavior and just continued marching on down the hallway. She was too tired to think about confronting them. She had barely slept all night, because she just couldn't stop thinking about the way Ichigo had kissed her. It had been so effortless for him, but Tatsuki's mind was a mess. What would happen now?

As she pushed the door to the classroom open and walked in, all the conversation in the room halted completely, and a dozen startled, surprised eyes flickered in her direction before hastily looking elsewhere. The girl felt her mouth tighten in displeasure as they averted their eyes. _What the hell is going on?_

“Orihime!” she barked, spotting her energetic best friend in the crowd of mute students. Surely _she_ would know why everyone was acting so shifty today. Tatsuki hurried over to her desk, throwing her bag on top of it before hopping over the metal bar to slide smoothly into the chair and frown at her friend, who was sitting at her usual seat beside her. The girl jumped at her sudden appearance, as she had been too absorbed reading a romance manga to notice what was occurring in the classroom, then smiled when she realized it was indeed Tatsuki. She snapped the book shut with a cheery expression.

“Morning, Tastuki!” she chirped, then began to blather about her morning.

“Orihime, wait, wait!” she interrupted. She normally let Orihime chatter, but she had to get the bottom of this strange behavior, and she was too tired to suffer through the meaningless blabber. “Do you know why everyone is acting so weird toward me today?” Orihime stared at her with a blank expression, obviously clueless, then looked around the classroom. Her mouth curled into a frown when she observed the shifty stares and whispers directed at the martial arts practitioner.

“Huh… Everyone is acting weird today. Why don't we just ask?” she suggested happily, and while Tatsuki spluttered protests and grabbed onto the girl's arm as she stood up, Orihime loudly announced, “Hey, everyone, what are you all talking about?” Once more, the classroom went so silent that she could probably hear a cricket chirping, and for a few moments the students hesitantly kept their mouths clamped shut, avoiding looking at the girl. _What the hell?_ She thought in frustration, about to snap angrily at them. Then, abruptly, one of then meekly spoke up.

“Is it true that you and Ichigo are dating, Tatsuki?” Her face instantly blazed a fiery red, and she sat in stunned silence. _How could they have found out about what happened? Did someone see? Did Ichigo go running his mouth?_ She thought wildly, unable to cope with the many eyes now directed on her. She almost wished that they would go back to avoiding her. The stares were much worse. She ducked her head, gritting her teeth as she tried to stay calm.

“Why would you ask something like that?” she asked evasively. She wished that she would stop blushing like she was. How could she pay it off when her body was betraying her? _I can lie my way out of this…_

“A couple of the student council members saw you two kiss from the second-floor window.” _Damn, that's hard to play off,_ she thought with a small groan. She sank down into her seat, still blushing that apple-red color and trying desperately to get her neurons to fire, but all she could think about was that _damn_ kiss and how good it felt, and the evolving nature of her and Ichigo's relationship. Were they dating? Were they not? And Orihime! How could she kiss Ichigo when she knew how much Orihime loved him? Riddled with guilt and embarrassment, she glanced out of the corners of her eyes at the girl, who was just looking at her with an expression of both shock and hurt. Before she could say anything about anything, though, the room went quiet again.

This time, it was because Ichigo entered.

“What the hell is everybody actin' so funny for today?” he muttered, his normally angry-looking face looking even more so than usual. He had that signature look, lazy with his bag slung over his shoulder with his other hand slid into his pocket. _Did that always make him look so… sexy?_ She thought absently, then mentally scolded herself for such lewdness. She slipped further down into her desk, mortified at the events of the morning, and looked away from Ichigo lest she betray herself. Of course, he came right over to her. “Hey, Tatsuki.”

“Hey, Ichigo,” she mumbled. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, but she didn't even have to. Just the sound of his voice sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Despite her misgivings, she peered at him out of her peripheral vision, and the butterflies multiplied tenfold when she realized how impossibly handsome he was, standing there smiling softly at her. _Oh my God._ “How is your arm?” she asked, trying to change the subject. He glanced down at the bandages wound around his upper arm.

“Oh, it's all right,” he shrugged. She should have known better than to ask, because he always played off injuries. He could have an arm cut off and he would merely call it a scratch. He looked back to her, and she found herself electrified by the seriousness in his expression. She knew what he was going to ask. Half of her wanted him to, and half of him didn't- but he totally did. “I want you to go out with me tonight.”

The breath that the classroom had been holding was suddenly released in a series of shocked gasps. Though Tatsuki wanted to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment, she managed to keep looking up at him, her face like a wildfire. _Me and Ichigo? Go out?_ She felt this strange mixture of nausea and excitement. “I’ll pick you up at six, okay?” he grinned when she did not answer, and he just walked away like it was nothing, while Tatsuki was left short-circuiting like a toaster in a bathtub.

The rest of the day passed like a blur. If you asked her, she couldn't recall what she learned or did. Her mind kept traveling back to the kiss the day before, or Ichigo standing over her with that sweet smile asking her out on a date, or wild fantasies of what such a thing could entail. By the time lunchtime rolled around, her anxiety had mounted, because she didn't know what to expect and Orihime had not spoken to her the entire day. She managed to corner the girl at the lunch table, sitting with the rest of their friends, and she was positively breathless as she ran over to the table and slammed her metal lunch tray down onto the table with a loud _clang!_

“Orihime! I’m so sorry!” she cried and bowed her head. Her bottom lip quivered slightly, though tears did not flow because Tatsuki was much too proud. Quivering, she waited for her friend to reply. Orihime was kind, but would she be able to forgive her for something so terrible? She couldn't bring herself to look up and meet her eyes, to see the anger and hurt there. She stiffened when Orihime just chuckled lightly, and she gasped when a pair of slim arms wound their way around her and sweet-smelling, orange-brown hair fell into her face.

“Oh, Tatsuki. You don't have to apologize,” she sighed. Tastuki could feel the wetness of tears against Orihime's cheeks as she hugged her tightly. Was she crying because she was lying, or because she was upset that Tatsuki would even think that she was angry? The girl didn't know, but Tatsuki really didn't care. She was too busy being relieved. The girl pulled back, and Tatsuki finally found the courage to look up at her. She was smiling cheerfully like she always did, but tears were streaming down her cheeks. “I’m so happy for you,” she laughed brightly. A small smile found its way onto Tatsuki’s mouth.

“Thanks, Orihime.”

“All right! Now that all the drama is out of the way, sit down and tell us how this happened!” Chizuru cried impatiently, and so Tatsuki did as bid, explaining the situation to the girls while she ate her lunch. They were all floored that Ichigo would have a crush on her, of all people, but were also squealing at how romantic the entire thing was. At the end of the story, though, Tatsuki had to address the elephant in the room.

“You guys! What the hell am I supposed to do for this date?” she cried as she slammed her fists down on the table with enough force to make the empty trays jump. “I’ve never been on a date before! I don't know what to expect!”

“Why don't we all meet at your house to get you ready for your date, Tatsuki?” Michiru suggested happily.

“Yeah! We'll help you pick out what to wear, and do your make-up!” Orihime laughed, bouncing up and down and clapping her hands with elation. The entire thing sounded God-awful to Tatsuki; everyone knew that she was a tomboy and wanted nothing to do with such girly things. _But that's the proper thing to do on a date, right?_ Reluctantly, she agreed to the get-together, which, at the very least, made her friends happy.

 _I’m not sure that this will turn out well,_ she fretted as the girls cheered and chattered excitedly about various ways to doll Tatsuki up. The rest of the day went on with Tatsuki stressing endlessly about all the uncertainties and unknowns of such a thing as a date. She walked home alone, as all the girls wanted to go home to retrieve their “supplies,” so she was left to her frantic thoughts. She arrived home and immediately got in the shower, only because the girls had insisted that her long hair needed to be washed and blow-dried. Part of her missed the short, scruffy style she had possess for most of her life, but she had grown it out to its current length merely because Orihime had mildly insisted upon it, since she had grown out her own over the last year and a half. Sometimes Tatsuki's mind wandered to all the weird things she had seen from the pair, but she trusted them enough to know that one day, one or both of them would tell her everything, and so that trust was enough to keep her from prying about it.

Just as Tatsuki was finishing blow-drying her black hair, the girls had all trickled in, and were currently seated on her wood-paneled floor ogling over the various goodies they had brought to contribute to Tatsuki's transformation. Tatsuki gasped as her chair was whipped around as soon as she set the blow-dryer down, and was met with the round, excited face of Michiru. Tatsuki paled slightly when she noticed the girl was holding a case of foundation.

“You are _not_ putting that stuff on m- Pppphhh! Hey!” she exclaimed as Michiru began slathering her face in the make-up. She squirmed under the assault, hating the feel of the thick powder against her skin, and Michiru kept squeaking at her to stay still. In rapid succession, Tatsuki had to endure applications of blush, eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, and lipstick. Ryo snapped a pair of fake earrings onto her unpierced ears, while Orihime strung a necklace around her neck. As if she wasn't already extremely uncomfortable, Michiru procured a summer-green dress and a pair of light brown flats. Screeching objections, Tatsuki jumped up and tried to climb out her window, but Ryo and Chizuru wrestled her back while Michiru and Orihime stripped her down and forced her into the sundress. “I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this,” she muttered as she stood in the center of the room, arms crossed and expression thunderous, while the girls circled around her, ooh-ing and aah-ing.

“Tatsuki! You look so beautiful!” Orihime cooed, standing in front of her with eyes sparkling with happiness. That put a small smile on her face, at least. She glanced up at the clock and gasped.

“Oh, my gosh! It's almost six!” she cried, instantly going in panic mode. She flitted about the room, trying to regain her cool, but she just couldn't. How was she supposed to act? How could she, or Ichigo for that matter, take herself seriously dressed like this? How was she supposed to _act_? Her friends threw random tips and instructions at her, but Tatsuki absorbed none of it. When she heard the knocking at the door, she screamed that she had to go to the bathroom, but when she didn't come back after a moment, the girls barged in and found her trying to climb out of _that_ window. Exasperated and giddy, her friends forced her to the front door and watched avidly as she attempted to steel her nerve and opened the door. “H-Hi,” she stammered, looking down at her feet. Dammit, she was blushing again. She felt ridiculous, because she looked ridiculous.

“Hey,” came that smooth reply. Somehow, she forced herself to look up, and he was wearing that smug, confident smirk of his as he looked down at her. He was wearing some slacks and a button-up shirt, and to be honest, he looked really nice. _He cleans up a lot nicer than I do,_ she moped. “You look nice,” he smiled down at her, but she knew it was more for her benefit than anything. She could hear the girls whispering around the corner as she stepped out onto the threshold, and when she closed the door, everything fell into tense silence.

“Um… You look nice, too,” she mumbled shyly. The smile that brought to his face made her heart flutter. She was relieved to see that there was a trace of bashfulness in his expression, as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away shyly with a gratuitous remark. Together, they awkwardly set off down the sidewalk, Tatsuki nervously shuffling along in her flats trying to keep up with his long stride. They just walked along in silence, not even able to muster up small talk, but this was mostly on Tatsuki; Ichigo was spacey, staring off into the sky and thinking hard about something. _He does that a lot,_ she thought with a small smile. His mind just loved to wander on walks. He had always been that way. She often thought about asking what he was thinking about, but she liked looking at the quiet, contemplative look on his face. So just watched him- that is, until he suddenly turned to look at her and caught her staring. She jumped and hurriedly turned her face away, blushing dark red, and hoped he wouldn't comment. Of course, he did.

“Do I got somethin' on my face or somethin'?” he asked, and when she didn't answer, he planted himself in front of her and leaned over with his hands on his hips. “Yo. I’m talking to you,” he huffed. Tatsuki squeaked, bristling at how close his face was.

“N-no. I just happened to look at you when you looked at me,” she muttered back, still avoiding his gaze.

“You're acting weird.”

“I am not!” she protested hotly, and in her anger, glanced up at him. When their gazes met, she became locked in his eyes, that intense, accusatory glare. _He can see right through me,_ she realized in despair. No lies or excuses would be able to sway him. After a minute of staring intently back, her shoulders slumped in defeat and she pouted slightly, looking away with a slightly twitching eyes. She _hated_ have to admit to him that she was nervous. “I've just never done this before, you know? I dunno how I need to act. All of this is so sudden. We were friends two days ago, and now I don't know what we are anymore. It all makes my head hurt,” she sighed quietly. She expected Ichigo to laugh or make fun of her, but he just gave her that sweet smile and placed his large hand on top of her head, ruffling her messy hair slightly.

“Lookit you, getting’ all shy,” he teased. Tatsuki just continued to moodily pout, not appreciating that he was treating her like some kind of child. Looking to the side, she could see him still smiling out of her peripheral vision. _How can he be so calm about all of this?_ “Tatsuki, I just want you to be yourself,” he said suddenly. Struck, she just continued staring around at that certain crack in the sidewalk. It looked pretty deep. It had a little bedraggled weed growing out of it. She felt like a bedraggled weed, struggling to grow in the hazardous environment of a new relationship. She stiffened as she felt his hand slide around her jaw, but allowed him to turn her face so that she was now looking at him. Was she still blushing? Probably. She just felt numb, so in shock that she couldn't feel much of anything. He was still smiling at her. _He has a really sweet smile._ “Would ya relax already?” he chuckled softly. “Though, I like that cute little expression you have. All worried and shy. And you’re so cute when you're blushing.” That was enough to pull Tatsuki out of her dump stupor.

“I’m not cute.”

“Sure ya are,” he grinned at her, ruffling her hair some more and bringing his face closer. She set her jaw, blushing further, but she couldn't deny that his fingers tousling her hair felt pretty good. Her mouth twitched as he sneered playfully at her _,_ but she could see real affection there, too. His sneer then relaxed into a smile, and the level of kindness and love that was swimming in his eyes made her heart go to thumping. “Really, Tatsuki. This doesn't change anything. I just want you to be yourself,” he repeated. “Don’t get too in your head.”

“Just be myself…?” she echoed. It certainly didn't seem too hard. She could feel her tense muscles relaxing as she gazed deep into his eyes, slowly allowing herself to relax. _Just don't get too in my head. Yeah. This doesn't change anything. Ichigo is still Ichigo, and I’m still me._ A smile slowly found its way onto her face.

“There. Ya finally got it through your thick skull,” he laughed and knocked lightly on her forehead before straightening up. Tatsuki rubbed her forehead where he had touched her, still mildly pink.

“Thanks, Ichigo.”

“Yeah, no problem. Now, can we get going? I’m hungry!” he sighed and turned around, placing his hands behind his head and beginning to walk. _He really doesn't act any different,_ she thought in amusement. As she scurried to catch up to him, he suddenly lowered one hand and grabbed hers, still staring straight on ahead with his other hand held up behind his head. She blinked, surprised by the sudden affectionate action, but found that she really wasn't as embarrassed as she thought she would be. It felt like her hand fit perfectly within his own. Suddenly, she found that she wasn't nervous, but excited. Maybe she didn't know how to act, but that was okay.

_I just have to be myself… Because that’s what he likes about me, right?_

_You and I… I’m scared, but I’m excited, too._


	6. You and I Part III

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Ichigo Kurosaki and Tatsuki Arisawa

Tatsuki felt like she was floating on air as she strode along the sidewalk, her hand still firmly locked within Ichigo’s as he walked alongside her. Now that she was out of her head, it was quite an enjoyable experience, and despite herself she was downright giddy. _Just be myself. I can do that,_ she thought as she glanced out of the corner of her eyes at her date. He was staring off into space again, thinking about whatever he liked to think about on his walks. _Ichigo really is a mysterious guy… I thought I knew him well, but honestly, there are some times that I can’t really tell what's going on in his head._ She flicked her gaze back to the sidewalk, lest she be caught staring again, and then coughed uncomfortably.

“So, where are we going?” she asked. Ichigo's mouth curled upward into a small smirk.

“It's a surprise.” Tatsuki began pouting again, turning to look up at him with narrowed eyes. He just laughed at her, quite intent on their destination remaining a secret, and so she grunted and rolled her eyes. _Ugh, so he's one of **those,** huh? What’s he trying to do, be smooth? _Though it was irritating, the plot worked; Tatsuki found herself _dying_ to know just where he was taking her.

Karakura Town was relatively small, so everything of interest was within walking distance. They traveled out of Tatsuki's neighborhood into the business district of town, where cars were rolling by and other passersby were out enjoying the evening. Some schoolgirls, still dressed in their uniforms, giggled as they passed by laden with shopping bags and talking about a fun weekend at the beach that was coming up. A young mother towed along her young toddler, who was gleefully attacking an ice cream cone, succeeding more in smearing it across her chubby cheeks than actually eating it. A businessman chattering on his phone walked briskly by, his briefcase swinging alongside him. A trio of young boys rolled by on their skateboards, startling an old man as they raced by and causing him to irritably shake his cane at them. It was a normal day for everyone else. _Yet here I am… Out on a date!_ She thought. It was certainly out of the ordinary for her.

As they passed by the various businesses, Tatsuki wondered which of them could be the mystery destination for their date. A little café sat on the corner, a quaint little brick-and-mortar construct with flowerpots on the windowsill and an overall cheery demeanor; school students and business people alike were inside, tapping away at their computers as they sipped at various caffeinated beverages. A nice barbecue steakhouse was across the street, and well-to-do men and women strolled in and out of it, indicating it as an upscale establishment. An ice cream shop was down the street, with colorful lettering advertising an assortment of flavors and toppings. Ichigo continued to tote her along, giving her no hint of where they were headed. By the time he finally stopped, she was almost dying of curiosity.

“Oh! A noodle shop,” she blinked when she read the signage displayed above the doorway. It was cute, a red brick structure with warm brown accents and a wide window that allowed her to peer inside. There were quite a few patrons inside, enjoying steaming bowls of noodles garnished with various meats and vegetables.

“Yeah, it's new. I thought it would be fun to try,” he smiled at her, releasing her hand to open the door for her. Tatsuki felt a little sad to feel his warmth fade from her hand. _Ugh, don't be so gushy, Tatsuki,_ she scolded herself before striding through the door, acutely aware of Ichigo following closely behind her as she walked to a table. She slid into a booth, settling herself into the cushiony fabric, while Ichigo sat across from her. She found herself growing anxious once more. _Relax, Tatsuki. It's just Ichigo. You've gone out tons of times before._

 _Yeah, but never **alone** , _the annoying little devil in her mind chimed, and she sunk slightly down into the booth with a groan, attempting to ease her nerves. She busied herself with the menu, her eyes sweeping across the various items. Her problem soon became that she could not decide what she wanted to order, because everything looked so good.

“I don't know what I want,” she laughed after a minute, shyly peering over the edge of the menu at him. He was leaned back against the booth, one arm slung back over the top. _Always making himself comfortable,_ she thought wryly as his gaze flicked up to meet hers. She was grateful that the laminated booklet in front of her face could hide her blush. “It all looks so good, doesn't it?”

“Yeah. I’m going for the pork ramen,” he mused as he snapped his menu shut and regarded her. “You like chicken, don't you, Tatsuki? Why don't you get something with that?” She blushed darker. _He remembers something like that?_ She thought and returned her gaze to the menu, concentrating on the chicken section.

“Hmm. I guess I’ll try this spicy chicken ramen,” she decided before closing the menu. The waiter arrived just then to take their orders, and while they waited on their food to be made they sat in silence, Tatsuki sipping on a water while Ichigo partook in a soda. He was gazing off again, but every once in a while his gaze would flicker to her, peering at her out of the corners of his eyes while his mouth twitched into a small smile. “What is it?” she asked him after a while, slightly irritated with him just staring at her.

“Nothin'. You're just cute.” Tatsuki's cheeks flared pink again, and this time she had no menu to shield her.

“I told you already. I’m not cute!” she whined, turning her face away as she tapped her fingernails against the smooth wood of the table.

“My bad. Adorable, then.”

“That's no better!” she cried and slammed her hand on the table, looking back at him. He was grinning stupidly, obviously teasing her, and she was feeding right into his amusement. “What? You think you can just tease me now that I’m you're girlfriend?” As soon as she realized what had come out of her mouth, she slapped a hand over it, her eyes wide. Ichigo’s grin widened devilishly.

“Oh? So you agree that this is a steady thing,” he smirked as he tilted his head to the side, baiting her. She silently fumed, angry at herself for saying something so compromising and angry with him for being such an annoying but frustratingly handsome jackass, and took a moment to carefully weigh how she was going to respond. _I mean, it's not that I don't **want** this to be a steady thing, but I don't want **him** to know that! _

“That isn't what I said,” she muttered, a weak excuse but the best thing she could come up with in the moment. He chuckled, and she sunk down in the booth with a huff, crossing her arms grumpily. _He's just playing me!_

“All right, order for the lovely couple!” the waiter chimed cheerfully as he set two steaming bowls in front of them, and it certainly didn't help Tatsuki's sour mood. Ichigo's eyes glittered with amusement, obviously very pleased with himself; Tatsuki just grabbed her chopsticks and snapped them apart, pretending that it was his spine. _He's so annoying! And handsome!_ She whined, unable to _really_ be mad because he looked so infuriatingly attractive when he was grinning at her like that. Grumpy, she swirled her noodles for a moment and, forgetting that she had ordered something spicy, shoveled a large amount of them into her mouth. A shiver went through her body, traveling from the tip of her toes to the crown of her head, and her eyes immediately began to water as the hot spices seared her tongue. _Oh my God! This is really hot!_ She wailed silently, simply holding the noodles in her mouth because she was in too much pain to try and chew them.

“What is it? Too spicy for ya?” Ichigo teased. He was watching her with that same stupid grin, leaning his cheek in his hand while he slowly stirred his noodles with the chopsticks in the other hand. Tatsuki immediately realized that her pride was at stake, and so she forced herself to swallow the noodles, managing to keep the whimper from escaping her mouth as her entire mouth burned like it was on fire. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, trying to seem composed as she looked at him levelly. She probably wasn't accomplishing much, with her reddened face and her eyes brimming with tears.

“It's great.” To her disappointment, her voice came out in a croak, and she flushed as Ichigo laughed at her.

“Here, try mine,” he said, and Tatsuki rolled her eyes, moving to dip her chopsticks into his bowl. However, to her shock, Ichigo plucked a piece of pork from his bowl and held it out to her across the table, indicating for her to eat it.

“I am _not_ letting you feed me.”

“Whatsa matter?” he grinned at her, and she _knew_ that he was baiting her again. _Where does he get this confidence? I could kick his ass right here and now!_ He waved the meat in front of her face, sending broth splattering in small droplets across the table. “Come onnn. You know you want to,” he goaded, the sneer traveling across his face as he watched Tatsuki squirm. The meat _did_ look good, and her mouth was burning so much, she needed _some_ relief. _But letting him feed me? I’ll look so girly!_ She thought in dismay, her eye twitching as the heat in her mouth began to intensify. After a moment of internal struggle, her pride gave into the fire in her mouth, and she leaned slightly across the table to take the pork in her teeth and pull it from the chopsticks. She glared at him, eyes locked, as she slowly chewed the meat and swallowed, and he watched her levelly the entire time, _quite_ pleased with himself. “Well?”

“That's really good.” Tatsuki didn’t want to admit it, but it was quite savory and delicious.

“Good. Now gimme some of that chicken.” She stiffened like a soldier at attention, completely incredulous that he was now implying for _her_ to feed _him_. That stupid, maddeningly attractive grin flashed across the table at her, taunting her, and the heat that had once been burning on her tongue now flared across her cheeks. She gripped her chopsticks so tightly she could have broken them, then hissed under her breath and plucked a piece of the spicy chicken from her ramen bowl.

“I hate you,” she muttered as she held it out to him, eye twitching and her lips pursed.

“If you hated me, you wouldn't be here,” he snickered in response and leaned over to snatch the meat off the sticks, winking at her as he devoured it. She went darker, but watched with some satisfaction as he coughed and waved a hand over his mouth. “Wow! You weren’t kidding! What'd they do, dump the whole can of spice in there?” he huffed as he fanned his burning mouth. She chuckled and took another, smaller bite of her noodles. Though it was spicy, it wasn't too bad once she got used to it, and she was able to finish it off. However, she was panting by the end of it, her face steaming and her eyes and nose running unattractively. “You really do have too much pride. You could have gotten something else.”

“It was good, though!” she protested as she sipped gingerly at her water. It didn’t provide much relief to her fiery mouth, but enough. The waiter brought the check, and both of them reached for it at the same time.

“Oh, no. We aren't going Dutch.”

“I can pay for my own food!” she protested, attempting to jerk the checkbook out of his hand. He kept a firm hold on it, scowling.

“This is a _date,_ Tatsuki! _I_ pay for _you_!” he asserted and jerked the book back, and with a yelp she ended up halfway across the table, sending the empty ramen bowls skittering about and her face ending up a few inches from his. While she squeaked and went red, he continued to glare levelly at her, eyes narrowed. “Let go, Tatsuki.” She had no idea how he could be so serious when their noses were nearly touching. Stiffly, she released the black checkbook and slid back into her seat, while Ichigo pulled some cash out of his pocket to pay the bill. When he handed it off to the waiter, he looked at her smugly. “You're too stubborn, ya know.”

“Isn't that one of my endearing qualities?” she grunted back, arms crossed.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” he smiled, and the warmth there stunned her into silence. The waiter returned with his change, and with that he stood up from the table and began walking toward the door. Tatsuki scurried after him, her dress swishing about her knees as she trotted, walking out of the restaurant as he held the door for her.

“Whoa! I didn't realize we were here so long.” While they had been inside, night had descended over Karakura Town; the streets were bathed in the soft light of the moon and the fluorescent glare of the streetlamps with the occasional wash from the headlights of a passing car; neon signs blinked here and there, advertising the local businesses now that the sun was gone. It was still early evening, and many people were still about, mostly adults and couples looking for a fun night on the town. She heard the door swing shut behind her, she turned her head to look up at him. “So? What now?”

“What? You don't want to go home yet?” he mused, then blinked when her expression went serious.

“No…” she admitted quietly, looking shyly at her feet. Though Ichigo was a pain, she could not deny that she was having a lot of fun. He blinked down at her, then smiled softly and reached down to grasp her hand once more.

“All right. Let's go for a walk, then.” Tatsuki smiled as he pulled her along the sidewalk deeper into the business district of town, and she even deigned to press a little close to him, their arms brushing together as they walked. Every touch send electricity sparking through her nerves, but it was a good feeling, an exciting feeling. _I think I’m really starting to enjoy this._

They meandered around town for a while, window-shopping and poking into little shops to look around, before they finally decided it was time for them to return home. Ichigo insisted on walking her, of course, despite the fact that he knew she was perfectly capable of walking home alone; behind her banter, though, she welcomed the few extra minutes she could spend with him. _I guess dating really isn't **that** much different than being friends… We just hold hands and stuff, _she told herself as she plodded along beside him. Out in the neighborhoods, the streetlamps were spaced father apart, with lines of darkness stretching between the circles of yellow light. In these patches, they were basking in moonlight, and Tatsuki could not help but appreciate how Ichigo's orange hair turned a mute gold in the whitish glow, like a tiny sun bobbing along in the dark. She wondered if he thought the same kinds of things about her. Did she look pretty in the moonlight, too? She doubted that; her dark hair absorbed the light rather than reflected it, making her look like some kind of gloomy spectre. _A gloomy ghost in a cheery dress,_ she thought with a wry smile as she pulled at the loose fabric. She had possessed reservations at first, but she had to admit that it was more comfortable than she thought and gave her legs freer range of motion. Plus, though she would never admit it, she like the way it flowed around when she moved.

“What're you thinking about?” Tatsuki looked up when he suddenly addressed her. For once, she had been the one whose thoughts had wandered.

“Just… Little things. Like how nice this has been,” she answered quietly. She certainly wasn't going to tell him she thought his hair looked like the sun in the moonlight, he would _never_ let her live that done. He smiled at her, that lopsided smile she liked so much.

“So, you never answered me. _Are_ you and I a steady thing?” They had reached her house now, and he stopped in front of her, one hand in his pocket while the other still gently held her hand. _You and I._ She liked the way he said that. She looked down at them, appreciating the way their fingers seemed to fit so seamlessly together, and swung their arms side-to-side a little as she thought.

“… I guess… We _are_ a steady thing,” she replied, looking up at him as she puffed out her cheeks slightly. _He makes me so… Ugh._ She wasn't sure how to describe it, really. He just brought something out in her that she wasn't used to, but she didn't think it was necessarily a _bad_ thing. _I could get used to this._ He smiled happily down at her, and she couldn't help the happy smile from appearing on her face, too. “So, um… Wanna do this again sometime?”

“Yeah. I’ll call you,” Ichigo mused, and Tatsuki glanced down as his hand suddenly slid from hers to travel up her arm, coming to a rest just below her shoulder. In her moment of inattention, he had stepped close to her, and when she looked up, Ichigo's face was inches away from hers. Her heart somersaulted in her chest, and her muscles locked so that she could not move. She gazed up at him, her eyes wide and her breath caught in her throat, as his other hand rose to rest on her cheek. “Are you gonna get mad at me if I say you’re cute again?” he asked her, his voice low. There was something about it that made her heart flutter. _He sounds… sexy…_

“Maybe I could get used to it,” she mumbled back, trying to seem calm despite the fact that she was pretty much freaking out. She felt dizzy and short of breath, and unconsciously she stepped forward to put her hands on his chest to steady herself. _What’s wrong with me? Is it… him?_ Ichigo almost looked different now. How had she not noticed all this time how maddeningly handsome he was? And that smirk. Damn, she loved that smirk. Her mind was in such shambles that she did not notice Ichigo's face descending over hers until he was right on top of her, and by that time his lips were sliding over her own. As soon as they met, Tatsuki melted in his arms, her eyes drifting shut as she abandoned herself to the kiss. It stole what little breath she had left in her, and her fingers dug into his shirt, afraid that if she did not hang on to him she would collapse. Their mouths moved in a slow waltz, and Tatsuki felt like a symphony was starting inside of her, her heart was singing so loudly. When they finally broke apart, she felt like she was entranced for a moment, and had to blink several times to finally come to her senses. When she did, she stepped back from him, flushing. “Ah-ahem. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Tatsuki,” he chuckled and ruffled her hair, then turned his back and strolled off with a little wave. Tatsuki watched him leave, her heart still humming, before turning to go into her home. As she reached for the doorknob, it abruptly turned and the door wrenched open to reveal the four girls who had prepared her for her date earlier that day. Tatsuki yelped as Chizuru and Ryo grabbed her by her arms to yank her inside, while Michiru kicked the door shut behind her.

“Well! Tell us _everything!”_ Michiru demanded, hopping up and down with delight.

“Yeah! Yeah! Where did you go?” Orihime asked.

“Was there a lot of kissing? Tongue? Did you put out?”

“ _Chizuru!”_ they all shouted in unison at the perverted redhead.

“What? They’re legitimate questions!” she pouted, but the girls were already back to pestering Tatsuki. Under the fierce interrogation, she could still not help but smile. As her friends sat her down on the sofa, she began to relate the exhilarating tale to them, while they squealed and wriggled about with glee.

_You and I… I’m looking forward to it._


End file.
